Steven Ho's Blog - Deconstructing Fighting and Stunts for your enjoyment

Coca-Cola defends lawsuit against its product “vitaminwater” by claiming that “no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.”

Now here’s something you wouldn’t expect. Coca-Cola is being sued by a non-profit public interest group, on the grounds that the company’s vitaminwater products make unwarranted health claims. No surprise there. But how do you think the company is defending itself?

In a staggering feat of twisted logic, lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the lawsuit by asserting that “no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.”

Does this mean that you’d have to be an unreasonable person to think that a product named “vitaminwater,” a product that has been heavily and aggressively marketed as a healthy beverage, actually had health benefits?

Or does it mean that it’s okay for a corporation to lie about its products, as long as they can then turn around and claim that no one actually believes their lies?

In fact, the product is basically sugar-water, to which about a penny’s worth of synthetic vitamins have been added. And the amount of sugar is not trivial. A bottle of vitaminwater contains 33 grams of sugar, making it more akin to a soft drink than to a healthy beverage.

Is any harm being done by this marketing ploy? After all, some might say consumers are at least getting some vitamins, and there isn’t as much sugar in vitaminwater as there is in regular Coke.

True. But about 35 percent of Americans are now considered medically obese. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight. Health experts tend to disagree about almost everything, but they all concur that added sugars play a key role in the obesity epidemic, a problem that now leads to more medical costs than smoking.

How many people with weight problems have consumed products like vitaminwater in the mistaken belief that the product was nutritionally positive and carried no caloric consequences? How many have thought that consuming vitaminwater was a smart choice from a weight-loss perspective? The very name “vitaminwater” suggests that the product is simply water with added nutrients, disguising the fact that it’s actually full of added sugar.

The truth is that when it comes to weight loss, what you drink may be even more important than what you eat. Americans now get nearly 25 percent of their calories from liquids. In 2009, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health published a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, finding that the quickest and most reliable way to lose weight is to cut down on liquid calorie consumption. And the best way to do that is to reduce or eliminate beverages that contain added sugar.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola has invested billions of dollars in its vitaminwater line, paying basketball stars, including Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, to appear in ads that emphatically state that these products are a healthy way for consumers to hydrate. When Lebron James held his much ballyhooed TV special to announce his decision to join the Miami Heat, many corporations paid millions in an attempt to capitalize on the event. But it was vitaminwater that had the most prominent role throughout the show.

The lawsuit, brought by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, alleges that vitaminwater labels and advertising are filled with “deceptive and unsubstantiated claims.” In his recent 55-page ruling, Federal Judge John Gleeson (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York), wrote, “At oral arguments, defendants (Coca-Cola) suggested that no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitamin water was a healthy beverage.” Noting that the soft drink giant wasn’t claiming the lawsuit was wrong on factual grounds, the judge wrote that, “Accordingly, I must accept the factual allegations in the complaint as true.”

I still can’t get over the bizarre audacity of Coke’s legal case. Forced to defend themselves in court, they are acknowledging that vitaminwater isn’t a healthy product. But they are arguing that advertising it as such isn’t false advertising, because no could possibly believe such a ridiculous claim.

I guess that’s why they spend hundreds of millions of dollars advertising the product, saying it will keep you “healthy as a horse,” and will bring about a “healthy state of physical and mental well-being.”

Why do we allow companies like Coca-Cola to tell us that drinking a bottle of sugar water with a few added water-soluble vitamins is a legitimate way to meet our nutritional needs?

Here’s what I suggest: If you’re looking for a healthy and far less expensive way to hydrate, try drinking water. If you want to flavor the water you drink, try adding the juice of a lemon and a small amount of honey or maple syrup to a quart of water. Another alternative is to mix one part lemonade or fruit juice to three or four parts water. Or drink green tea, hot or chilled, adding lemon and a small amount of sweetener if you like. If you want to jazz it up, try one-half fruit juice, one-half carbonated water.

If your tap water tastes bad or you suspect it might contain lead or other contaminants, get a water filter that fits under the sink or attaches to the tap.

And it’s probably not the best idea to rely on a soft drink company for your vitamins and other essential nutrients. A plant-strong diet with lots of vegetables and fruits will provide you with what you need far more reliably, far more consistently — and far more honestly.

John Robbins | Huffington Post - 8/06/10

I know that I’m not the only one suffering from allergies this Summer. I generally try to avoid medication because they either wind me up like a spastic toy or immediately knock me out cold. Either way, I hate the effects of them.

But you can also overcome many of the problems of Summer allergies by eating local honey. Basically, you are building up your system’s defenses against allergens in your environment, since you’re taking it in after the bees have processed it-kind of like a hive-made vaccine. If you can’t find local honey, raw honey would be a good alternative.

If you’ve been watching your diet and working out like a maniac but find that your weight has increased or stayed the same…don’t freak out and don’t fire your trainer. NO…muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. That’s ridiculous because 5 lbs of muscle weighs the same as 5 lbs of fat or 5lbs of ball bearings or 5 lbs of feathers.

5 lbs is 5 lbs.

But as you can see in the above creepy photo, fat is much bulkier than muscle and in turn fat takes up more real estate (volume) in your body than muscle does. So if you’re carrying around an extra 5 lbs of fat, you’ll be lumpier than if it were an extra 5 lbs of muscle. Capiche?

A woman weighing 120 pounds with 15% fat will look much smaller than a woman at 120 pounds with 25% fat. They may weigh exactly the same, but their composition is entirely different. So ixnay on the obsession with your scale and start paying attention to your body composition. How your high school jeans fit you and how you look in the mirror in your birthday suit is much more telling.

The Japanese are well known to have some of the longest life expectancies in the world, which many attribute to the Japanese diet. But what is less well known is that Japanese women have the lowest rates of obesity (only 2.9%) in modern cultures.

In Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat author Naomi Moriyama shares with readers the basic elements of the Japanese approach to eating stating that her book is “not a diet plan but a whole new way of falling in love with food”.

The Japanese Diet Basics

The emphasis is on small portions of fresh seasonal food. Dieters are advised to value quality over quantity and to eat slowly so as to appreciate the flavors of the food and reach a feeling of satisfaction with less food.

A major factor of the Japanese way of eating is to eat until 80% full. In addition a great deal of emphasis is placed on presentation and making the food look beautiful and appealing to the eye.

Dairy and bread are not part of the diet and when beef and chicken are included in meals they are regarded more as condiments rather than the main focus of the meal. Fresh fruit is the preferred dessert however if a richer dessert is eaten it is in very small quantities.

In Japan breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day and is often the largest. Moriyama introduces dieters to the concept of the Japanese power breakfast, which consists of miso soup, rice, egg or fish, vegetables, fruit and green tea.

Recommended Foods

Moriyama outlines the seven pillars of the Japanese diet that are the foundation of the dietary aspect of this plan:

• Fish such as salmon and mackerel.
• Vegetables including daikon radish and sea vegetables.
• Rice (preferably brown).
• Soy (tofu, miso, soy sauce, endamame).
• Noodles (soba, udon, ramen, somen).
• Fruit such as Fuji apples, tangerines, and persimmons.
• Tea preferably green.

Sample Diet Plan

Breakfast

Miso Soup
1 cup white rice
1 egg
Nori seaweed strips
Green tea

Lunch

Teriyaki fish
Rice
Asian greens
Green tea

Snack

Fuji Apple

Dinner

Chicken
Rice
Miso soup
Sea vegetables with tofu

Evening Snack

Tangerine

###

[NOTE: It goes without saying that any eating plan must be accompanied with a healthy lifestyle (ie. exercise.....and chill on the partying). Our individual body constitutions require different nutrients, so I would always advise consulting with a doctor and/or dietitian to see what may be best suited for you.]

VEGETABLE JUICE
Here’s a surprising way to supercharge any diet-and your health: Chug a glass of low-sodium vegetable juice every day. In a study of 81 overweight adults at risk for heart disease and diabetes, those who drank at least a cup of low-sodium V8 daily lost four pounds over 12 weeks, while those on the same reduced-fat diet who drank no juice lost one pound.

DROP THE SODAS
Calories from solid foods and liquids both add up, of course. But in a recent multicenter study, the only menu change that had a significant payoff for dieters was cutting back on sugary beverages, says lead author Benjamin Caballero, MD. Reducing intake by just one serving a day took a pound off after six months, enough to add up for people with a soda or fruit-drink habit. And don’t even think of replacing your soda with a diet soda - you’re actually better off with real sugar over aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal). [read more on aspartame here]

GREEN TEA
Overweight or obese exercisers burned off three more pounds and 7 percent more belly fat when they drank green tea instead of another beverage with the same calories, according to a new multicenter study.

SLEEP MORE
A study of 32 summer students at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas over three weeks showed that those who slept an extra two hours ate nearly 300 calories less.

MUSHROOMS
When ground beef was swapped out for mushrooms in lasagna, sloppy joes, and chili, adults consumed 400 fewer calories per day, according to a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study. Researchers estimate that if you’re a heavy meat eater and substitute mushrooms for ground meat in one meal every week, you can lose five pounds in a year.

KEEP IT SIMPLE
Eating foods that are unrefined, organic, and as close to their natural state as possible will lead to a natural reduction in calories.

I recently received a message from Eva, who has a great blog dedicated to the Mediterranean diet. I’m generally hesitant to use the word “diet” because it can have negative connotations to many people. When you think of “dieting” you may think of deprivation; no carbs, no fat, no sugar, no meat.

So more accurately, Eva shares an informative article below that refers to the traditional foods and eating patterns found in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

The principal aspects of Mediterranean eating include high olive oil consumption, high consumption of legumes, unrefined cereals, fruits, vegetables, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yogurt), moderate to high consumption of fish, low consumption of meat, and moderate wine consumption. [note: the suggestion of wine consumption carries with it continued debate from both sides - it may or may not be right for you]

As always, I suggest for you to consult a physician and/or dietitian to analyze what foods are most compatible with your blood type…and of course a regular exercise regime should be a regular part of your lifestyle.

THE SECRETS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

a) Mediterranean diet is high in fat content. Can people enjoy weight loss and optimum weight management if they follow this diet?
To some extent, Mediterranean diet really has a high fat content. But you have to take note that the fat content of a Mediterranean diet consists of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats are essential and healthy for your body unlike the saturated fat which is common in American diet. Do take note also that calorie intake is the determining factor for weight loss and not fat consumption. If you follow the Mediterranean diet, you will enjoy lots of healthy benefits but you still need to lower your daily calorie consumption to achieve weight loss.

b) In simple terms, what is the principal difference between the American diet and the Mediterranean diet?
Americans consume high numbers of red meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy, while the Mediterranean includes very little. The diet also differs from the typical American diet through its dependence on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, olive oil, beans, breads, cereals, and potatoes.

c) Is it true that Mediterranean diet played a major role in lowering the rate of heart disease in the region?
Diet is a major factor in lowering the incidences of heart disease in the Mediterranean region. This has been proven by research and studies conducted by health and diet experts. Another big factor is the holistic approach of the Mediterranean diet. This diet does not only focus on foods but on maintaining a healthy lifestyle as well.

d) Does regular exercise has a place in the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle?
Exercise plays an important role for Mediterranean diet. When this diet was developed, the people of Mediterranean were already a big fan of exercise and physical activities. This is the basis why Mediterranean diet includes regular exercises in its overall program. Essentially, a daily one-hour walk is needed. You should also perform once a week full body exercises.

e) How the Mediterranean diet differ from the Low Carb diet?
There is a sea of difference between these two diets. With the Mediterranean diet, your protein consumption would be lower. Normally, you will get 15 percent of your calorie consumption from the protein content of a Mediterranean diet.

f) People noticed that wine is an important part of Mediterranean diet. What is the recommended daily wine consumption?
Men should generally get 5 percent calories from wine while women should consume 2.5 percent calories. As a rule, always drink wine in low to moderate amounts daily to enjoy best results.

g) Final Recommendations
There are loads of benefits that you can enjoy from Mediterranean diet. This diet focuses on healthier food options like root crops, fruits, cereals, breads, vegetables, and Omega 3-rich foods. You will be able to prevent heart diseases if you follow the Mediterranean diet.

About the Author - Eva Alexander writes for Mediterranean Style Diet , her personal hobby blog focused on tips to eat healthy on the Mediterranean way.

Also branded as NutraSweet and Equal, aspartame is is used by over 200 million people worldwide and is found in more than 6,000 products (Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Flintstones Vitamins, Fiber One cereal, Slim Fast, Orbit gum, Red Bull, etc…).

This chemical sugar substitute has been, and remains, controversial since its approval as a food additive by the FDA in 1981. The FDA maintains that aspartame is one of the most thoroughly studied food additives the agency has ever approved and is safe. However, many consumers have reported symptoms ranging from headaches to gastrointestinal problems to even blindness and death from aspartame.

The multi-billion dollar aspartame industry insists that “aspartame kills” is an “urban legend”.

I’m not going to get into the specifics of the “he said, she said” on this debate, but if you have a horse in the race (and if you drink or eat anything that is labeled “diet” or “weight loss” you most likely do), I would urge you to at least take a few minutes on the Google machine and do your research on what’s going into your body. Don’t get caught up in the hype of the packaging, take your time to read ingredients.

In general, my advice is to always KEEP IT REAL. Why put chemicals in your system if you don’t have to? It’s not rocket science - it just makes sense.

Sugar is not bad for you…it’s only bad for you when you eat a carton of ice cream in one sitting. If you feel like a cookie, then pull out your grandmother’s recipe, bake a batch, have one, and give the rest away …rather than gobble up 5 “diet cookies”.

Here’s a short list of some natural sweeteners to consider as substitutes for sugar:

Stevia: A very sweet herb from South America that’s available in powder and liquid form at health-food stores.

Agave Nectar: The agave (uh-gah-vay) plant comes from Mexico. Its fleshy leaves cover the pineapple-shaped heart of the plant, which contains a sweet sticky juice called Agave Nectar.

Honey: Sweet syrupy fluid made by bees from the nectar collected from flowers and stored in nests or hives as food. It is composed of fructose and glucose. Good types include red clover honey, or orange blossom honey.

Fructose: A natural low-glycemic sugar that’s found in fruit. You can also find it in granulated form at health-food stores. Fructose is sweeter than regular table sugar, so you need less.

Hope you’re reading this Deven.

Not sure how I feel about this yet, but definitely thought it was interesting enough to post…

GAUHATI, India – The Indian military has a new weapon against terrorism: THE WORLD’S HOTTEST CHILI.

After conducting tests, the military has decided to use the thumb-sized “bhut jolokia,” or “ghost chili,” to make tear gas-like hand grenades to immobilize suspects, defense officials said Tuesday.

The bhut jolokia was accepted by Guinness World Records in 2007 as the world’s spiciest chili. It is grown and eaten in India’s northeast for its taste, as a cure for stomach troubles and a way to fight the crippling summer heat.

It has more than 1,000,000 Scoville units, the scientific measurement of a chili’s spiciness. Classic Tabasco sauce ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units, while jalapeno peppers measure anywhere from 2,500 to 8,000.

“The chili grenade has been found fit for use after trials in Indian defense laboratories, a fact confirmed by scientists at the Defense Research and Development Organization,” Col. R. Kalia, a defense spokesman in the northeastern state of Assam, told The Associated Press.

“This is definitely going to be an effective nontoxic weapon because its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hide-outs,” R. B. Srivastava, the director of the Life Sciences Department at the New Delhi headquarters of the DRDO said.

Srivastava, who led a defense research laboratory in Assam, said trials are also on to produce bhut jolokia-based aerosol sprays to be used by women against attackers and for the police to control and disperse mobs.

By WASBIR HUSSAIN, Associated Press Writer Wasbir Hussain, Associated Press Writer – Tue Mar 23, 7:19 am ET

I think that many health and fitness writers are pressured by their editors/publishers to come up with the “next” fad that they often get carried away and too absolute on what to eat or not eat.

Here are four foods that I think have gotten a bad reputation in the “diet world”, but that should actually have a place on your plate…

1. Peanut butter

Misconception: This creamy spread is an indulgence best enjoyed occasionally because it’s high in fat and calories.

Why it’s good for you:At least five major studies confirm that eating peanuts can lower risk for coronary heart disease. So it’s no leap to think that peanut butter confers the same benefits. “Suffice it to say that eating peanut butter or peanuts has been associated with lower total cholesterol, lower ldl or ‘bad’ cholesterol, and lower triglycerides, all of which are associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk,” says Richard Mattes, Ph.D., R.D., a professor of nutrition at Purdue University.

Even better, these health benefits seem to occur without also promoting weight gain. One reason could be that peanut butter is a stick-to-the-ribs kind of food. When Mattes offered a group of volunteers seven different snack foods (including peanut butter, rice cakes, pickles, and almonds), study participants reported that peanut butter or peanuts were much more filling snacks than rice cakes or pickles and tamed hunger for much longer. Sure, peanut butter is high in fat and calories, but if a small amount can quell hunger, that might explain why dieters seem more satisfied with weight-loss plans that include the spread.

But dieting or not, Mattes says a tablespoon or two of peanut butter is all it takes to net a world of benefits for both the heart and waistline. And don’t obsess about peanut butter being a source of trans fats. A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture finds no detectable trans fats in a standard 2 tablespoon serving. CookingLight.com: Nutrition faceoff: Peanut butter vs. cream cheese

2. Eggs

Misconception: Eggs are high in dietary cholesterol, so they don’t have a place in my heart-healthy diet.

Why they’re good for you: Eggs contain a variety of substances that appear to promote good health. Choline, a nutrient that is critical to brain function, is one example. Eggs, it seems, are one of the richest food sources of choline. Scientists at the University of North Carolina find adding choline to the diets of pregnant animals improves memory performance in their offspring. It may seem like a leap to apply this finding to people, but researchers are already encouraging pregnant women to eat eggs and other choline-rich foods (such as beef liver) during pregnancy.

Eggs are also being studied because they contain lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that may keep eyes healthy and ward off the leading cause of blindness, macular degeneration. A recent report in the Journal of Nutrition suggests that we look at the egg as a whole package: Eggs are inexpensive, contain the highest-quality protein on the planet, and are loaded with small amounts of vital nutrients, including folate, riboflavin, selenium, B12, and choline. At 75 calories apiece, eggs are also a nutrient-dense food that makes a smart and low-calorie contribution to any menu.

3. Avocado

Misconception: I shouldn’t eat avocados because they’re high in fat.

Why they’re good for you: A lot of attention centers on the fact that avocados are rich in monounsaturated fat, the heart-healthy kind. Yet scientists are now more interested in the active compounds in avocados that might help prevent cancer. One recent study found that those compounds can inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells in the laboratory. While conducting the study, these researchers found avocados are loaded with a variety of antioxidants, including familiar disease-fighting compounds such as lutein, beta-carotene, and vitamin E.

Another recently discovered benefit is that avocados help the body absorb phytochemicals from other foods. Researchers from Ohio State University recently reported that pairing avocados with salsa or salad allows for better absorption of antioxidants in those foods. The lycopene in tomatoes or the beta-carotene in carrots may be better absorbed if there’s a slice or two of avocado in the bowl. Scientists suspect that the fat content of avocados helps the body absorb these antioxidants. CookingLight.com: Good fats vs. bad fats

4. Mushrooms

Misconception: Mushrooms are a low-calorie food with little nutritional benefit.

Why they’re good for you: They may be 90 percent water and have only 18 calories per cup, but mushrooms are getting serious scientific attention. Laboratory reports and animal studies show that compounds in mushrooms may do everything from bolster immune function to suppress breast and prostate cancers to decrease tumor size. And now, Penn State researchers find that mushrooms, from the humble button to the giant portobello, harbor large amounts of an antioxidant called L-ergothioneine. The scientific buzz is that fungi, for the moment, are the only foods that contain this compound.

While scientists work to figure out how these findings will translate to dietary advice, there are plenty of reasons to enjoy mushrooms. Clare Hasler, Ph.D., a well-known expert in functional foods and executive director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at the University of California, Davis, points out that mushrooms offer a healthy helping of the blood pressure- lowering mineral potassium. “Most people might be surprised to learn that while orange juice is touted as one of the highest potassium foods, one medium portobello mushroom actually has more potassium,” she says. “And five white button mushrooms have more potassium than an orange.”

This list is excerpted from Cooking Light magazine. By Maureen Callahan.

Don’t be fooled by their mild-mannered appearance…and don’t forget that New Year’s resolution you made to yourself to eat healthier. These 10 tasty choices are secret sources of health and energy.

PEANUT BUTTER

Combats diabetes, heart disease
In addition to sticking to the roof of your mouth, this school lunchbox staple may help stick it to two of the biggest health threats to aging Americans—diabetes and heart disease. Last November, Harvard researchers reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association that women who ate peanut butter or other forms of nuts at least five times a week lowered their risk of diabetes by 21 percent compared to those who didn’t. This, thanks to the hefty amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in nut products. These good-for-you fats improve glucose and insulin stability, as well as protect against heart disease, says researcher Rui Jiang, M.D.

Another good thing about peanuts (and all kinds of nuts, for that matter): They’re good sources of fiber, says Christine Rosenbloom, Ph.D., a nutritionist at Georgia State University. The soluble fiber in peanuts helps control blood glucose and prevents dietary fat and cholesterol from entering the bloodstream, while insoluble fiber helps speed food through your digestive track, keeping you regular. Nuts are also loaded with the amino acid arginine, which may help relax blood vessels for better blood pressure control.

Tip “Aim for a daily tablespoon of peanut butter or one ounce of nuts—enough to fill a shot glass or a regular handful,” advises Rosenbloom.

AVOCADO

Neutralizes heart risks
Like peanut butter, avocado packs plenty of fat per serving, but also like peanut butter, most of the fat is the good unsaturated kind. At only 160 calories, a half avocado—the typical serving—also has the same amount of fiber as one slice of whole wheat toast. It also provides vitamin C and vitamin B6, and about one-third of your daily requirement of folate, a nutrient that helps neutralize excess levels of heart attack-causing homocysteine.

Tip: Use it in place of spreads like butter or mayonnaise. Tip: The green, smooth-skinned Florida avocados have less fat and fewer calories than the smaller, rough-skinned California kind.

CHILI PEPPERS

Burn calories
The “hot” in chili peppers—an ingredient called capsaicin—is an effective weight-loss tool. Not only does eating peppers suppress appetite so you eat less—studies show that people eat fewer calories in a meal that typically includes chili, cayenne, or other types of “hot” peppers—but peppers also rev up metabolism, so you burn more calories even when you’re not exercising. Capsaicin can also relieve sinus congestion by stimulating mucous membrane secretions.

At only four calories per tablespoon, chili peppers also provide one-third of the daily recommendation for vitamin C, 10 percent of vitamin A, and several other antioxidants. (Think of antioxidants as the Delta Force of nutritional soldiers, flushing out destructive oxygen molecules responsible for some of the ravages of aging.)

Tip: Keep some red pepper powder handy, and get in the habit of adding a pinch to soups, omelets, and sauces.

WATERMELON

Aids prostate health
Tomatoes get the headlines for their protective effect against prostate cancer, but this picnic classic actually does the job better. Ounce for ounce, watermelon contains 40 percent more of the active cancer-fighting compound lycopene than tomatoes, says David Kiefer, M.D., a fellow at The University of Arizona’s Program in Integrative Medicine, headed by alternative medicine guru Andrew Weil, M.D. Not only is lycopene crucial in overall prostate health, but other studies suggest it may block the plaque buildup in your arteries that can lead to heart attack. And it may help to offset some of the cellular damage caused by environmental pollutants, bad diet, and even aging—which may lead to cancer, as well as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and arthritis.

Tip: Serve it as a side dish with fish or chicken and rice, or try it for breakfast served with whole-grain muffins.

WHOLE-GRAIN CEREAL

Protects the heart
Breakfast each morning is a smart idea: Daily breakfast eaters are nearly half as likely to get heart disease or diabetes, or to become obese, as those who skip the morning meal, according to research presented at an American Heart Association meeting in March. This 10-year study examined only the importance of breakfast, but previous trials by the same Harvard researchers suggest that you’ll fare best when that breakfast includes a bowl of whole-grain cereal. Why? It fills you up so you eat less throughout the day, stabilizes blood sugar, and has a higher concentration of fiber than most other foods, says study author and nutritionist Linda Van Horn, Ph.D., of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

The soluble fiber in whole-grain cereals forms a gel-like material in intestines that prevents cholesterol and saturated fats from entering the bloodstream and also plays a beneficial role in metabolizing blood sugars. Meanwhile, the insoluble fiber in whole grains keeps you regular, so excreted carcinogens pass more quickly through your intestines—which may prevent colorectal cancer. And because these cereals are typically fortified, they also contain hefty amounts of vitamins C and B6 and iron, as well as folic acid and various phytochemicals that protect against heart disease and possibly some other cancers.

Tip: Read labels to ensure that whole grains are listed as the first ingredients and that the cereal contains at least two grams of fiber per serving. And watch the sugar content. (Less than three grams is recommended.) Bran cereals can contain the most fiber of all whole-grain choices, up to eight grams per serving.

BLUEBERRIES

Boost immunity
The best topping for your cereal—or any other meal? Blueberries, according to researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. They tested almost 40 different fruits and vegetables—and found that this tiny fruit packs in the most antioxidant power. In fact, in only one-half cup, you can get twice as many antioxidant nutrients as most Americans consume in an entire day, says lead researcher Ronald Prior, Ph.D. That serving also delivers a mere 40 calories, virtually no fat, a hefty amount of vitamin C, and nearly two grams of fiber.

Tip: Don’t just think of blueberries for cereal or pie. Blueberries are a sweet surprise in salads, as a solo snack, or served as a side dish with poultry and meat.

APPLES

Protect lungs
No surprise that apples make this list. But chances are you never knew that eating an apple a day is particularly good for your lungs, all the more so if you smoke. In a study presented before the American Thoracic Society, British researchers said that apples were more effective than other fruits and vegetables in reducing the risk of developing serious disease, including lung cancer. In another study, Dutch scientists found that smokers who ate an apple a day were half as likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an umbrella term for emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

But apples aren’t just for smokers. They’re a genuine nutritional treasure: An apple contains only 81 calories, with almost no fat and three grams of fiber—including a type called pectin that helps lower cholesterol levels and moderate blood sugar—says Rosenbloom. It also contains hefty amounts of boron, a mineral believed to boost alertness and help curb calcium losses that lead to osteoporosis.

Tip: An apple and cheese snack is smart as well as tasty. Cheeses, such as gouda, mozzarella, or cheddar in particular, may counteract the sugars in apples that could lead to tooth decay.

SALMON

Benefits the prostate and heart
The overall health-boosting, heart-smart benefits of this cold-water fish—along with mackerel, sardines, and herring—are well established. But bet you didn’t know that salmon may help fight prostate cancer. In a 12-year study published in January in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, researchers from Harvard Medical School and the National Cancer Institute discovered that men who eat fish, including salmon, more than three times a week were less likely to develop prostate cancer.

Most of the health-boosting credit in salmon goes to its treasure chest of omega-3 fatty acids, which also regulate depression and other mood disorders and are believed to reduce arthritis pain. “The acids in salmon and other fish help fight inflammation, so they are good for aches and pains,” says Kiefer. Other studies show frequent fish consumption may protect against Alzheimer’s.

May we suggest Canned pink salmon has the highest amounts of omega-3s—but also the most salt. Sockeye salmon has the most vitamin B12, important for nerves and blood cells.

EGGS

Fight eye disease, lowers cholesterol
Eggs will surprise you. Did you know eating them can help prevent heart and eye disease? “Eggs have gotten a bad rap; they’re actually one of the best overall food sources available,” says Rosenbloom. “They’re very low in saturated fats and provide a lot of important nutrients. And the yolk is among the very best sources of lutein, an antioxidant that may help prevent age-related macular degeneration.”

But what about that cholesterol matter? Granted, a yolk has 213 milligrams of cholesterol—two-thirds of the recommended daily value—but newer research finds that it also contains phosphatidylcholine, which in lab animals decreased the absorption of dietary cholesterol contained in eggs into the bloodstream. In fact, a landmark study on 38,000 men in The Journal of the American Medical Association, part of the ongoing Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, concluded that eating one egg each day is “unlikely” to play any role in heart disease.

Tip: Oh, the possibilities. But since spinach is another rich source of vision-protecting lutein, how about eggs Florentine?

TURMERIC

Fights cancer, eases pain and swelling
Fabled as the spice that lends zing and yellow color to curries and mustard, turmeric also provides numerous health benefits. Besides helping to ease arthritis, and muscle and postoperative pain and swelling—without the side effects of pain medications—it may also act as a cancer-fighting agent.

The healing power of turmeric comes from its active ingredient—curcumin. In a study published last September in the medical journal Blood, researchers found that adding curcumin to cancer cells suppressed most of them and stopped others from spreading. More recent research on laboratory animals has shown that eating curcumin may protect skin during cancer radiation treatments.

Tip: No, don’t gobble this spice by the spoonful or whip up a curry every evening. But you might get in the habit of keeping a container within easy reach and using it occasionally to replace some of the salt and pepper in your cooking.

Sid Kirchheimer has written 13 health books, including the bestselling The Doctors Book of Home Remedies II.

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